I try to look at things from a systems perspective when the perspective applies and helps. We often talk about a criminal justice system. If a system is a set of interacting or interdependent parts forming an integrated whole, parts not forming an integrated whole do not make up a system. Large segments of what we call our criminal justice system increasingly seems a non-system we’ve mislabeled out of hope[…] Keep reading →

I saw the following essay on the great geek forum Slashdot, a site that a decade ago published a story on the company I co-founded. The site isn’t as important as it once was, but it’s still big. I don’t know the real-world identity of the essay’s writer. I presume he or she wrote it quickly, not aiming for accuracy or to withstand heavy criticism, but to get people thinking.[…] Keep reading →

Wired Magazine recently published a piece by Bill Gates called “Here’s My Plan to Improve Our World — And How You Can Help.” He wrote 40 percent of Earth’s population is alive today because, in 1909, a German chemist named Fritz Haber figured out how to make synthetic ammonia. Another example: Polio cases are down more than 99 percent in the past 25 years, not because the disease is going[…] Keep reading →

Pick any great historical figure. We often regard them as unparalleled geniuses the likes of which we may never see again. On the other hand, they were human beings like us. They performed in some areas well beyond average. What if their abilities or traits weren’t once ever but once in a generation? It’s interesting to see what you conclude, as I’ll show. Then we’d expect to see others of[…] Keep reading →

I posted the following in response to a bunch of articles I’ve read about a report co-authored by over a dozen science-related organizations describing how reducing funding for science has led to research and the benefits it brings to society leaving the U.S. — The writing on the wall became apparent to me with the 1993 cancellation of the Superconducting Super Collider, when I was getting my PhD in physics.[…] Keep reading →

View on Amazon Understanding North Korea: Demystifying the World’s Most Misunderstood Country The death of Kim Jong Il has reignited popular intrigue for North Korea, justifiably so. Few understand this isolated and authoritarian country despite its paramount global importance: the site of a major war, a nuclear power hosting the world’s fourth largest military and most militarized border. An estimated ten percent of its population died in famines while its[…] Keep reading →

Here’s an exercise to see your values from a new perspective. I used to do it all the time until I learned my lesson from it, which I’ll write at the bottom. Answer the question “how would you improve the world if you could have a magical wish come true?” and follow through to see if the change would, in fact, improve your life. To clarify, I mean a supernatural[…] Keep reading →